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The Creepsylvanian masked misfits in GHOUL will devour the
dead overseas on a near-two-week tour next week. Slated to commence on February
25th, GHOUL will feast on the entrails of the deceased though the United Kingdom, Belgium,
Poland, Germany, and Austria, with an included stop in
The Netherlands for an appearance at the Netherlands Death Fest.
Proclaims Digestor of the band's latest incursion: "We
are excited to travel once again through the socialist hellscapes of Europe. Cinch up your dirndles and prepare yourself for
the impending bloodbath, you sausage eating noodnicks. GHOUL is coming and we
can't be reasoned with!"
GHOUL:
2/28/2017 Temple Of Boom - Leeds, UK
3/01/2017 Underworld - London,
UK
3/02/2017 Het Bos - Antwerpen, BE
3/03-05/2017 Netherlands
Death Fest - Tilburg,
NL
3/06/2017 Goldgrube - Kassel,
DE
3/07/2017 Ciemna Strona Miasta - Wroclaw, PL
3/08/2017 Chemiefabrik - Dresden, DE
3/09/2017 Viper Room- Wien, AU
3/12/2017 Bastard Club - Osnabrück, DE
GHOUL continues to tour in support of their delightfully
deviant Dungeon Bastards studio offering. Released via Tankcrimes in July 2016,
the record consumed Billboard Charts upon its first week of release debuting at
#11 on the Heatseekers Chart, #13 on the Top Vinyl Albums Chart, #13 on the
Hard Rock Chart, and #27 on the Independent Albums Chart. The band also earned
prime spots on year end lists globally including the #19 position of Decibel's
Top 40 Albums Of2016, the revered rag
issuing of the album, "For those who lived through Nancy and Ronald, S.O.D. and D.R.I. GHOUL's
sound is like finding a shoebox of discontinued candy, all of it fresh to eat.
That said, the gonzo midnight movie vibe and cartoonish energy on Dungeon
Bastards perfectly articulates the apocalyptic anxiety that we're all sharing
in 2016." Additionally, Loudwire - who earlier in the year voted Dungeon
Bastards among its Best Metal Albums Of 2016 So Far - placed
"Ghoulunatics" at the #12 spot of their Best Metal Songs Of 2016
poll. Elsewhere, GHOUL secured the #5 position of Metal Sucks' Best Band Masks
survey while LA Weekly included the band in their list of Best Concert Photos
Of 2016 proving team GHOUL are not only maniacal thrashers but they're good
looking too.
Dungeon Bastards was captured and mixed by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled
City) at Antisleep Studios in Oakland, mastered by Dan Randall (Impaled, Annihilation
Time, Fucked Up, Necrot) at Mammoth Sound in San Francisco, and wields eleven
hemorrhage-inducing tracks of the band's now-patented Creepsylvanian
splatterthrash.
Dungeon Bastards is out now on CD and digital formats as
well as slime green and blood red vinyl with a gatefold jacket that opens into
the Dungeon Bastards board game. Players take turns advancing through a
Creepsylvanian map; the first one to get to end of the map and jump the Wall Of
Death wins. CD orders are available HERE, vinyl HERE, and digital HERE.
"Dungeon Bastards isn't just GHOUL's finest album to
date - it's one of 2016's strongest albums to date, a pipe bomb hybrid of
thrash, death metal, and hardcore that is effortlessly aggro and fun. Dungeon
Bastards is the kind of record that will have you looking cockeyed at anyone
who claims not to like it." - MetalSucks
"Infused with the savage technicality of thrash
behemoths and legendary crossover beasts such as Blind Illusion and Attitude,
the energy and power of early Death and Sodom
and the morbid humours of GWAR, GHOUL's lifelong mission has taken another
crucial step toward world domination. Thrashing time is here." - Mass
Movement
"The production here is crisp and choppy and adds to
the fun of this release... add in the sing-a-long choruses and you have a
pretty beaking cool release. 7 Fucking Pecks" -- Decibel's For Those About
To Squawk column
"...the best thing GHOUL has put out to date." -
Ave Noctum
Artificial Head Records is pleased to announce the signing
of psychedelic sludge band Cursus and with it the release of their self-titled
debut album this April.
Taken from the Latin word meaning “course” – specifically
the mournful paths our ancestors once took to bury their dead – the San
Antonio-based paring of guitarist/vocalist CJ Duron and drummer Sarah Roork
first came into being in the winter of 2013 with the release of their Summer
Solstice Sessions demo. Influenced by the likes of Om,
Neurosis, YOB and Ufomammut, and deep in experimentation with different sounds,
instruments and drone frequencies, the demo slowly unfurled colossal riff
driven soundscapes that permeated and punched in equal measure.
Released through Bandcamp it quickly caught the ear of label
boss and fellow Texan, Walter Carlos, who signed Cursus on the spot to his
Houston-based label Artificial Head Records.
“I had toured with Cursus a few times over the years and
I’ve always admired their massive sound. Their ability to crush bodies in the
room with their songs is uncanny,” explains Carlos. “Initially, we were going
to release a live cassette by the band from recordings they made while on tour.
But as the project kept going, we decided that a full-length studio album would
be better and we’re proud to have Cursus as part of our family.”
Three years on from the release of Summer Solstice Sessions
and Duron and Roork have their debut album loaded. Produced in a
basement-recording studio by close friend Chris Dillard, over six devastating
songs Cursus summons personal and spiritual pains and turns each into amplified
dirges packed with riffs, hypnotic string arrangements and spellbinding
percussion. With the power of cosmic doom burning brightly, distortion slams
hard into 6/8 rhythms as the Duron and Roork charter a longboat through a
magnificent storm of ethereal destruction.
This trio from London,
England was
founded back in 2011 and has released their newest EP that has three songs of
powerful modern hard rock. They previously released the full length MMXV in
2015 and a four song EP back in 2012.
First song “Broken Strings” have a tight, heavy sound that
has an infectious sound that gets your head nodding and your blood pumping and
makes you want to bang your head furiously and shout along with the band. A
great first song to start this EP and it made it very difficult to stop playing
it over and over again. “One” keeps the high energy going, but just down a
notch from the first song. The song is every bit as crunchy and had as the
previous and is actually a bit more melodic, but will still kick your ass.
“Lost Cause” is a slower song, but not a slow song, no ballad here kids,
instead you get a song that has feeling and emotion, but doesn’t get wimpy. The
song has a bite to it and thick playing that will get you rocking and gives a
nice finish to this all too short EP.
The band really does a great job showing us the ability that
they have to write and perform songs that will stand out from the pack and get
your ears to a happy place. I am looking forward to hearing a complete album
from them in the future and will be looking for their previous releases.
Black Pussy is returning to the road between March 17th
through April 2nd, 2017, and will fill the walls of the clubs across the United
Stated with their brand of 70’s influenced stoner rock. They be supporting
awareness for the release of their upcoming album Power (Made In China
Records)—which is set for a late-May release (05/30)—by performing tracks from
the album. Rock ‘n’ Roll is alive and well because of the controversy that
surrounds this band.
In celebration of the band's latest full-length record, V,
Swedish Loud Rock outfit TRUCKFIGHTERS kicked off the year 2017 with a North
American tour alongside Kings Destroy. Now the band is pleased to share that
they will be returning for the second leg of their North American trek in
March, with support coming from Green Leaf and We Hunt Buffalo (Canadian Dates
Only).
Speaking about their upcoming dates in the US & Canada, the members of
Truckfighters stated:
"We are beyond stoked to get back to do more shows in Canada and the US this March. It feels like North America is really catching up to the Truckfighters
vibe!”
Truckfighters - "Hawkshaw" (Official Video)
A complete list of dates for the band's upcoming North
American tour can be found below. All members of the band will be available to
the press at these shows, as well as for any phone or written interviews as
well.
Truckfighters are:
Niklas ‘Dango’ Källgren - Guitar
Oskar ‘Ozo’ Cedermalm – Vocals, Bass
Daniel ‘El Danno’ Israelsson - Drums
Truckfighters' new album, V, is available for purchase and
streaming via the following links.
V continues the Truckfighters tradition of blending big
riffs, dynamism and intricate songwriting. “The album won’t come as a huge
surprise for those who’ve heard our earlier work – but at the same time it
feels like a leap forward. We’ve been able to create some of our best songs so
far. For us this is definitely the album of the year”, says Dango, with a
laugh.
TRUCKFIGHTERS - Upcoming North America
Dates
Wednesday, March 15th - San Diego, CA
@ Brick By Brick
Thursday, March 16th - Los
Angeles, CA @ Complex
Friday, March 17th - San
Francisco, CA @
Bottom Of The Hill
Saturday, March 18th - Sacramento,
CA @ Starlight Lounge
Sunday, March 19th - Portland,
OR @ Ash Street Saloon
Monday, March 20th - Seattle,
WA @ El Corazon
Tuesday, March 21th - Vancouver,
BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Thursday, March 23rd - Calgary,
AB @ Distortion
Friday, March 24th - Edmonton,
AB @ Starlite Room
Saturday, March 25th - Saskatoon,
SK @ Amigos
Sunday, March 26th - Regina,
SK @ The Exchange
Tuesday, March 28th - Denver,
CO @ Moon Room
Wednesday, March 29th - Albuquerque, NM
@ Low Spirits
Thursday, March 30th - Tucson,
AZ @ The Flycatcher
For many of
us, this winter has been one for the record books in terms of weather systems.
Flooding out west has become the norm, reservoirs are overtopping, roads are
giving way, and mountains are being crushed by record snowfall. A lot like the
current weather, bandcamp continues to over pour its feed with stellar output
both saturating the scene and washing away any doubt that music has hit a
plateau. Today I flood you with another round of bonanza picks.
The Soul Jacket – Black Cotton Limited
The Soul
Jacket wraps us with a heavy layer of baby making blues. The soft, delicate
textures combine with deep sultry vocals and down home southern rock bliss
providing the soundtrack to every man's desire and each woman's heart. As my
bandcamp compadre Steve Rodger always says, " GODS HOLY TROUSERS!" Ya
this is that good. Think the Spaniard equivalent to Blackberry Smoke.
Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree – Medicine
The only
problem with this 'Medicine' is that the utterly spellbinding, doom-driven
ambiance only fuels the psychedelic flame of dirge lit riff worship. If you're
looking for a cure, you're in the wrong place. If you wish to slather your
craving for euphoric blues with the sweet nectar of atmospheric doom then
you've come to the right place.
Regulus – Smoke
This is
excellent. Took me a while to find but I'm glad I did (Sergeant Thunderhoof brought
me here). High octane, smokey blues with a hard rock backbone and grizzled
vocals that sear like a hot hibachi. Favorite track: The Dregs.
I grabbed the full discography for 30% off a
couple weeks ago and there isn’t any bad material. This is smoking folks.
Red Bowling Ball – Alongside the Traveller
Red
Bowling Ball delivers all strikes with a damn near perfect game of heavy ass
blues. Alongside the Traveller is both an invigorating listen as it is an example
of artistic grit and pummeling rock and roll ecstasy.
Val Cale – Black Stuff
The
ringing psychedelics permeate with progressive blues, balanced by heavy
grooving riffs and cool, crisp vocals piercing like a primitive spear through a
savage summer hide. Black Stuff Matters!
Holy Monitor – Holy Monitor
Holy Monitor
were somewhat of a random find but what I heard was convincing enough with just
a song available on pre-order for what seemed like ages. Low and behold upon
the official release we are greeted with one of the more complete, well
balanced, modern psych rock albums I’ve heard in some time. Wide open and
spacey at time, the vocals reverb with a mellow intrigue and the jangly pop
riffs bounce amongst progressive hooks and retro keys. This is a very
intriguing listen from start to finish. I can’t quite pin it down to one
particular style.
3 Wheeler Band – Space Tribe
I agree
with the rest. This is fast paced, groove laden, heavy
rock n roll. Bluesy solos, trembling bass, and grizzled vocal chops make
3-Wheeler Band more than just a dangerous ATV with guitars.
The Legendary Goodtimes – This is Rock
& Roll
This is
Rock & Roll certainly brings us the goodtimes. If your idea of good times
is rock solid rhythm reinforced with groovy ass bass, walloping drums, funk
driven guitar riffs and blues infused vocals crusted in soul, you're bound to
bob your head in unison with a perma-smile intact.
Take a
moment to digest if needed. I’ve attempted to match the weather as mentioned,
and this is just one storm system of riffs to plague the digital campgrounds.
Forecasts are showing 100% chance of killer riffs, landslides of stoner fury,
psychedelic undercurrents of doom, and atmospheric rivers of rock and roll in
the coming months. Be prepared. You might want to stock up on supplies. Head
over to bandcamp.com to ensure your safety.
Award-winning pop/soul artist Chris Youmans is releasing a
new stripped down live video of “Make Things Right”, the funky lead single from
Christopher Youmans & The Sound Agency’s 2016 debut EP of the same name.
Chris Youmans & The Sound Agency came to life in 2013.
At the group’s core is a collaboration between Youmans and multi-instrumentalist
Colin Deas, who Youmans met while studying music at UC Berkeley. The Sound
Agency takes the best elements of classic and modern pop, rock, funk, and soul
and weaves them around Youmans’s truly infectious songs.
The band released their debut EP, Make Things Right, in
February 2016 to a sold out crowd at Neck of the Woods in San Francisco. Following the release, the
band moved from Berkeley to Los Angeles and has begun touring tirelessly
on the west coast. This summer they will be making their debut at several California festivals and
working on their next release.
This
three-piece band from Los Angeles and Paris, France
is another band that takes their sound from the ‘90s when punk, grunge and rock
collided and gave us the alternative rock nation. The lucky thing is that this
band takes that and runs into the present with enough energy and talent to
surpass a lot of bands from back then that were just generic and boring.
The
sound on this album surprised me, it was tight, angry, but not bitter and jaded
or bored sounding like the ‘90s bands, instead it had the ability to take the
anger and play furiously and with heart. Opener “American Bride” is a catchy
and tight piece of music that instantly gets the chorus stuck in your head and
was the perfect song to start the album with. The band hits the ground running
and makes you look forward to the rest of the album. After the slower, but not
slow song “Play Dead,” they come back with “It’s Been Oh So Long.” The song is
more in the punk vein with its fast pace and gritty sound. The bass is thicker
than fog in London
and the energy could light up the city. The album definitely brings to mind the
‘90s, but luckily they manage to keep things interesting enough to make you
want to hear more and not think that they are a bland knock-off. The energy and
raw talent that is present really takes the songs up quite a few notches from
the generic music that is out there passing for rock nowadays. “The Flood” is
the only slow song on the album, but it’s not a bland song by any means, it’s
just slow, but done really well and a nice change of pace from the rest of the
album.
The
album really has a lot going for it and with songs played as tightly and with
the passion that you can not only hear, but feel, it makes for a great listen.
This is the kind of album that you can put on when you are having a party and
it will keep the vibe high and get the drinks flowing.
Claus Larsen is an artist I have admired for a long time. It all
started way back in time, the early 90’s, when my best friend, by chance,
played two albums for me, 'Science For
The Satanic Citizen' and 'Solitary
Confinement'. Both recordings grabbed me immediately and immensely and
has stayed with me ever since. Those two LPs were created by none other than
Claus’ fantastic band Leæther Strip, one of the forerunners of Electronic Body
Music, if you ask me. Therefore, when he released ‘Spæctator’ towards the end of 2016, I thought it was
time – finally – to talk to Claus about the past, the present and the future
about his amazing bandLeæther Strip and what inspires him to keep going after nearly 30
years.
How did Leæther Strip
start, Claus? And where did the band name come from?
Since 82 I was playing in
different bands, mostly Synth-Pop bands. But I never really felt home in a
band. I was always the one in the band who had a clear idea where we should go
and how hard we should work. I just had too many ideas, and ended up doing all
the hard work myself. Got tired of fighting with my band mates instead of
creating good music. Most of the other members were also in it for the wrong
reasons. I never gave a shit about fame, it's all about composing songs that
moves people in some form, and makes them think or let some steam out, or both.
Sadly it always ended up with the other members getting lazy. I wanted to be a
recording and performing artist with every fiber in my body. It was not just a
dream. I know it would happen if I worked hard enough, and I never met any
other musician around here with the same passion, so one day I just had enough
with bands. I took all my gear from our rehearsal room to my flat and that day
Leæther Strip was formed. There is no deeper meaning with the name other than I
wanted to name that had an aggressive feel to it without sounding like some
Death Metal act.
Leæther Strip went from a
more strict EBM/ electronic-industrial sound to incorporate more of a dance
music feel, which you termed symphonic electro. What brought on this change?
Well I think I have
always had all elements in my music. Melody is very important for me, but I
also like to go nuts and very aggressive. We all have dark and bright sides in
us, and I love to explore that when I'm writing songs. I didn't put myself in
any box, the listeners did. I am a fan of many different genres, all I need in
music is heart and passion and lyrics I can relate to, so I get my inspiration
from many scenes. I like to keep a sense of hope in my songs, even though it
does sound very dark and aggressive at times. I don't think when I write
really, it just comes out of me when I sit down and open my mind. As life
changes we all hopefully grown, and once in a while return to something
familiar. And now you've steered Leæther Strip back towards the more harder
physical stance of the early years, while still incorporating the melodic dance
side. Yes the new album is very “Leæther Strip”, but again you still have
very melodic songs, and some aggressive songs. For me it's one of my most
important albums ever. After my Mother died I had so much I needed to get out
of my system. Old very bad memories I had suppressed popped up again, and I
needed to deal with them the hard way, and most of these songs were my therapy
for that.
You took a break between
2001 and 2005, what happened?
I had enough with the
music industry. People who I saw as family turned out to be vultures and I just
had enough. But not creating music is very bad for me, it led to a deep
depression, which I am still battling with every day. But composing songs is my
only and best medicine. So I am never taking a break from that again.
Leæther
Strip has built up a huge, impressive discography of albums, singles, EPs and
appearances on compilations and remixes. How and where do you find the energy,
creativity and inspiration to keep all this going?
Passion.
I love what I do, and I wouldn't be here if I didn’t have this outlet. After a
few hours in the studio, I am a very happy man. Buying that Moog Prodigy synth
when I was 14 was a life saver. After 29 Years as Leæther Strip, I am still
living my dream. I've seen the world and met the most amazing people because I
bought that Synth back then. Besides Kurt, composing and performing my songs is
what I live for.
Apart from the passion
you pour into Leæther Strip you are active
in Klutæ. Why did you start this band?
Klutæ (Klute) back then
was started by chance really. I needed some inspiration and I started to play
around with guitar samples and metal drum sounds, just for fun really. Zoth
Ommog, my label back then, heard it and wanted it released right away.
And Klutæ ran side by
side with Leæther Strip for quite some time but then laid dormant for 10 years.
What happened?
Klutæ was not supposed to
be more than that first EP “Explicit”, but it sold out so quickly that they
label asked for an album. So I used and still use Klutæ as a playground to
experiment and just have some plain old fun. It's all done very spontaneous and
in the moment.
You also play in two
other bands, Am Tierpark and Sequential Access. Tell me about them, if you
don't mind.
Sequential Access is an
Old-School project I created together with Marco Defcode from Decoded Feedback.
We had a lot of fun making that album, but if there will be more, I can't say
yet. On the other hand, Am Tierpark is not a side project, this is a “real”
band. John Mirland, writes all the music, and me who sings and write the lyrics
and melodies. I started out doing Synth-pop in my teens, and I always dreamt of
doing it again. I then met John, and we shared the same kinda dream of making
this type of synth-pop with a deeper meaning that just “tra lala doo bi doo”. We
are both fans of the early Italo and Synthpop bands, so we tried to make a few
cover versions to see if it would work. And John and I are just a perfect
match, I finally found a guy with the same passion and the will to works hard
as myself. We just released a 12” vinyl/digital titled “Cherry Blossom”, and we
are now working on our second album.
In the last couple of
years Leæther Strip has toured quite a lot as well as appearing at festivals.
Is it hard to pick out a play list? I mean you have so much good stuff to
choose from but only have so much time on stage each night.
Yeah,
since 2008 we've been on a never ending tour, and it's still going. I am so
happy that I returned to the stage and that I can share this with my husband
Kurt. Sadly he can't do as many gigs as he used to, so I take the overseas ones
alone. Making setlists for an “old” band like mine is very hard especially for
festivals, where the set lengths are shorter. But I always try to fit as many
“classics” in as I can. Playing live is just as important for me as writing the
songs. I've learned that the best for Leæther Strip is to play 80% of songs
people know and then pop in some rare or new songs.
You do a lot of remixes
and covers of other bands songs, how did you get into doing this? Is it hard to
get approval from bands to make remixes as far as copyright goes?
The
remixes I get hired to do by the labels or the bands. For covers, I always ask
the bands. Most of the bigger bands don't bother to answer for some reason, but
over here in EU you can cover any song if you don't change in the composition,
meaning you can't change words or melodies. For that you need permission from
the band or their publisher. And if you release it you pay a % to the rights
holder.
Your new album Spæctator
is out on Rustblade but a lot of your work has been released by yourself. Do
you prefer to do it DIY or have a label involved?
Yes Rustblade got the new
album to release. I loved doing it on my own, but with all the shows and song
writing, it was just too much for a one man band to handle. Also the financial
stuff like making vinyl and special boxes, I can't afford. So I went with a
label again.
Spæctator to me is a mix
of early Leæther Strip - especially the beats and the vocals - while all the
other synth parts are melodic, suggestive and dreamy(in lack of better words).
To me these contrasts, if you like, works excellently together. Was this a
conscious decision or is this how the songs simply turned out?
I
never think about what I am going to do when I write the songs, it just builds
slowly. Half the time I have no idea where a song is going, but as soon as I
get a lyric topic idea I kinda know what mood a song will have. I usually start
with a simple drum loop and then improvise some basslines until I got something
I like, and then build from there. I have always tried to make albums that I
wanna put on and listen to the whole album from start to end, and not get bored.
If I'm bored with a band's album after I am half through it, it usually doesn't
get to be played again. I need to be sucked in, and that’s always been my goal.
I hope peoples focus will return to albums again and not always focus on the
singles.Putting contrasts into the music and between the
songs is always good if you ask me. Albums live forever if they capture the
listener. I'd like to think that my fans go back and find an older album of
mine and put it on and and it takes them back to some memories or events.
I
totally agree! Different albums or songs bring back different memories and
that's how it should be.
Do
you listen to other bands while writing and recording? A lot artists and bands
say they keep from that so they can focus 100% on their own music.
I listen to
others’ music and all sorts of genres all the time, though most of the time
it's while driving in our car. Because while I'm home, I spend most of my time
working on my own songs or working for others, mixing, mastering or remixing.
To be honest, and it might not be the most popular thing to say, but I think
that many recording artists aren’t too keen on talking about what other artists
they listen to, especially if it is bands from their own genre or scene. I
don't get it, but I guess it's an ego thing, or they think people will think
they are not as original as they want them to think. I have been addicted to music
since I was 4-5 years old. I come from a home where the radio was playing from
dawn to bedtime. My Dad was a jazz musician before I was born and he would play
old swing and jazz records for me all the time. As a self taught musician I
learn by listening, I also think that is why I love doing covers of songs I
love as a hobby and in between composing my own songs. I even dream music, and
many of my songs are the result of these dreams.
Spæctator took a few
years to complete but you worked on Am Tierpark's debut and several EPs at the
same time. Did this work process and long time frame helping making Spæctator
the great album it is?
Thanks. Yes I'm sure it
did. I am also remixing/mixing and mastering for other bands so I get new input
constantly from so many talented people. And sure it rubs off on my own songs.
It's always been like magic to me when a new song is taking form, I still feel
the same rush when I can put what I have in my head into my songs. I dream
music still and many of my song ideas comes from dreams or nightmares.
Where did you get the
inspiration for Spæctator? To me, it seems you have an even mix between happy
and sad themes?
To put it very short. My
beloved Mother was my last link to a family who never cared about me or my
husband, also during my childhood. I have all my life felt like a spectator to
my own family. I fought all my life to be loved and accepted by them without
any luck, and the day my Mother died, I felt such a release. Yes it sounds
harsh, but I finally didn't have to fight for their love anymore, it was like a
mountain had been on my head all my life and it just vanished that day. So
there is sadness sure, but also a lot of hope. Being an outsider to people who
should love you no matter what is worse than torture, and yet I still kept
trying to make them love me.
What are your touring plans with Spæctator?
Well since
my return to the stage in 2008, We/I have been touring non-stop all over the
world. I have not taken as many gigs in for this first part of 2017, mainly
because 2016 was the busiest gig year in the history of Leæther Strip and I
promised Kurt to take a few months with only a few gigs. But after summer it's
getting busy again. I love playing live and meeting the people who supports my
work so I can’t get enough of it. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of
Leæther Strip, so my plan is a world tour. But I take all the jobs I can get.
Through the years you
have always had this fantastic fat, thick electronic sound, especially in the
beats and the rhythms. The title track of Spæctator as well as Evil Speaks are
perfect examples of this. How do you come up with that and maintain it?
Thanks. I started out as
a synth bass player and I also programmed the drums back in my former bands, so
bass and drums are very important for the full production of my songs. It's
maybe the parts of a song I work on the most. If the bassline or drums doesn’t
work in the song, the rest usually doesn't stand the test of time. It's like a
house built without it's foundation. EBM is bass driven, you wanna move to it.
How is Kurt doing? You've been waiting an extremely
long time for his kidney transplant.
Kurt is
stable at the moment. He needs a new kidney, and he's close to dialysis. I was
going to give him one of mine and after a year of examination a date was set two
years ago, but 2 weeks before the transplant, Kurt sadly got a stroke from a
blood clot, and since then the doctors don't want to perform the transplant
until Kurt will need dialysis. It's very frustrating for us both, but we also
need to live our lives, and we do not want to waste our time together. We take
one day at a time. Yes it’s hard, but Kurt and I are stronger than bombs together.
That’s a horrible situation to be in, but
I’m glad you and Kurt are fighting it. Standing up against a struggle is the
best resolve. For whatever it’s worth, Claus, I know you will come out on top
of this.
Our
conversation is drawing to a close, so it’s time to bid adieu to Claus. It’s
been an immense pleasure to talk to this legend about what has been, what is
now and what is on the horizon. I wish all bands and artists would have the
same commitment, level of energy and integrity like Claus. Then music of all
genres would flourish and be inventive, and challenge us supporters at the same
time, to really listen and not just blindly consume the fashion of the day.
Thank you for the past 30 years Claus and here’s to 30 more!
New Orleans'
GOATWHORE will return to the road later this month as part of Metal Blade Records'
35th Anniversary Tour alongside labelmates Whitechapel, Cattle Decapitation,
Allegaeon, and Necromancing The Stone. The band's latest trek will stretch from
February 21st through March 15thwith various headlining dates scattered
throughout. From there, the band will take a short break before joining Amon
Amarth for two weeks' worth of shows from May 1st to May 21st. Due to
scheduling conflicts between the two tours, GOATWHORE will not appear on six of
the Metal Blade Records' 35th Anniversary Tour stops. See a full listing of
dates below.
GOATWHORE recently completed tracking the follow-to their
globally adored Constricting Rage Of The Merciless full-length. Titled Vengeful
Ascension, the band's latest studio offering was captured at
Earth Analog near Champaign,
Illinois. Fans will be able to
preorder Vengeful Ascension as part of an exclusive bundle only available
directly from the band's merch booth on both tours. The bundle will come with a
T-shirt and laminate exclusive to this preorder bundle only. The laminate will
contain a special code to input online to have the physical copy of the album
ship when released.
GOATWHORE w/ Whitechapel, Cattle Decapitation, Allegaeon,
Necromancing The Stone:
2/21/2017 Spirit Hall - Pittsburgh, PA
*no Whitechapel, Necromancing The Stone
2/22/2017 Brighton Music Hall - Boston,
MA
2/23/2017 Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY
* GOATWHORE only
2/24/2017 The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
2/26/2017 House Of Blues - Cleveland, OH
2/27/2017 The Frequency - Madison, WI
* GOATWHORE only
2/28/2017 St. Andrew's Hall - Detroit, MI
3/01/2017 Deluxe @ Old National Centre - Indianapolis, IN
3/02/2017 Bogart's - Cincinnati,
OH
3/03/2017 Montage Music Hall - Rochester,
NY * GOATWHORE only
3/04/2017 House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
3/05/2017 Riot Room - Kansas
City, MO
3/07/2017 Divebar - Las
Vegas, NV * no
Whitechapel
3/08/2017 Belasco Theater - Los Angeles, CA
3/09/2017 House Of Blues - San Diego, CA
3/10/2017 The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
3/11/2017 Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
3/12/2017 The Rock - Tucson,
AZ * no Whitechapel
3/14/2017 House Of Blues - Houston, TX
3/15/2017 House Of Blues - Dallas, TX
End Tour
w/ Amon Amarth:
5/01/2017 Vinyl - Pensacola,
FL
5/02/2017 Varsity Theatre - Baton Rouge, LA
5/04/2017 New Daisy Theatre - Memphis, TN
5/06/2017 The National - Richmond, VA
5/08/2017 TLA - Philadelphia,
PA
5/09/2017 College Street Music Hall
- New Haven, CT
5/10/2017 The Paramount - Huntington, NY
5/11/2017 The Garrison - Toronto, ON
* GOATWHORE only
5/12/2017 20 Monroe Live - Grand Rapids, MI
5/13/2017 Three Floyds Brewing - Munster, IN
5/16/2017 The Cotillion - Wichita, KS
5/17/2017 Boulder Theatre - Boulder, CO
5/19/2017 Lookout - Omaha,
NE * GOATWHORE only
5/19/2017 The Blue Note - Columbia, MO
5/20/2017 Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
Issued in 2014 via Metal Blade Records, Constricting Rage Of
The Merciless debuted at #81 on Billboard's Top 200 chart, topping their last
entry position of #171 with Blood For The Master. Crowned their most, "varied
record to date, as well as their strongest," by Pitchfork and,
"unrelentingly pummeling and brutally oppressive," by PopMatters.
Constricting Rage Of The Merciless can be previewed and purchased at:
metalblade.com/goatwhore.
